Convicted on four counts

Read this press release from the Department of Justice
http://sacramento.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel06/hamidhayat042506.htm

“April 25, 2006 United States Attorney McGregor W. Scott, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Drew Parenti announced today that a federal jury convicted HAMID HAYAT, age 23, of Lodi, California with one count of providing material support or resources to terrorists and three counts of making false statements to the FBI in matters related to international/domestic terrorism.”

Look into this case more carefully and you would find that the four counts are actually all about the same thing, Hamid Hayat’s confession that he attended a training camp.
It is like I interrogate you on Day 1 and ask you if you attended a terrorist training camp, and you deny that charge. I interrogate you again on Day 2 and ask the same thing. Once more you deny. Day 3, the same thing, and your response too is the same. Day 4, I have a mega interrogation session with you and I keep telling you that you indeed attended a camp, and then you break down and say, “Yes, I did.” Well, that confession becomes the first count, and what you told me on Day 1, 2, and 3 become three counts of lying to me. Amazing how it works!

Different people, different rules

Compare two confessions, one is taken at its face value and the confessant is convicted based on that confession alone. In the other case the confession is not believed in, corroboration of confession is sought, and ultimately the confessant is told he was lying. We are talking about the way the judicial system handled Hamid Hayat and John Karr’s confessions. John Mark Karr confessed he killed JonBenet Ramsey, but the judicial system said, ‘No, John. We are not going to believe you. We have to independently verify your claim.' A DNA test was done; the test came out negative and John Karr was off the hook, at least on this count.
And then we have the confession of Hamid Hayat that he attended a terrorist training camp. But in this case nobody bothers to corroborate. No evidence is shown if the camp really existed, if Hamid Hayat indeed got training during the time he said he was there. The confession is believed in, even when the confessant said the confession was obtained from him, under duress.
Who says Justice is blind?